Knowra Conventional agriculture Conventional agriculture Conventional agriculture is crop and livestock production that commonly uses synthetic fertilizers and pesticides alongside other production methods. Its practices vary by region, crop, and farm.
Synthetic fertilizer : Manufactured nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, applied to support plant growth. It supplies nutrients that conventional crop production often uses to raise yields.
Eutrophication : Excess nutrient enrichment of water that can trigger algal growth and oxygen depletion. Fertilizer runoff can carry nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes and coastal waters.
Organic farming : A regulated farming system that restricts most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and emphasizes ecological management. Its input rules distinguish it from many conventional production systems.
Industrial agriculture : Large-scale, commercially oriented food production using specialized operations and substantial machinery and inputs. Conventional agriculture often overlaps with this broader model, though the terms are not identical.
Sustainable agriculture : Agriculture that seeks to remain productive while sustaining environmental resources and social well-being. It provides criteria for assessing the long-term performance of conventional practices.
Pesticide : A substance or organism used to prevent, destroy, repel, or control pests. Conventional farms may use pesticides to limit crop losses from weeds, insects, and disease.
Pesticide resistance : The inherited ability of a pest population to survive doses of a pesticide that once controlled it. Repeated pesticide use can select for resistant weeds, insects, and pathogens.
Agroecology : An approach applying ecological principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems. It emphasizes ecological interactions and social context rather than relying chiefly on purchased inputs.
Maize production : The cultivation of maize for food, feed, fuel, and industrial uses. High-yield maize systems commonly combine improved varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery.
Life-cycle assessment : A method for estimating the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle. It helps compare farming systems beyond field-level impacts, including inputs and output quantities.
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